A Number 10 spokesperson said:

If true, the brutal murder of James Foley is shocking and depraved.

The Prime Minister is returning to Downing Street this morning. He will meet with the Foreign Secretary and senior officials from the Home Office, Foreign Office and the agencies to discuss the situation in Iraq and Syria and the threat posed by ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) terrorists.

Read more about the government’s response to the situation in Iraq.